


I Can Read You Like An Open Book

by CaptchaBlog



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, Magicks, Mind Reading
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-07
Updated: 2015-01-07
Packaged: 2018-03-06 12:34:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3134693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptchaBlog/pseuds/CaptchaBlog
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A little mistake in dealing with magicks leaves both John and Dave in a little bit of a situation.</p><p>(College AU)</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Can Read You Like An Open Book

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! Trying something new- I hope you enjoy!

“Pick a card.”

 

“No.”

 

“Pick a card, Dave.”

 

“No.”

 

“I swear to god you are the most stubborn piece of shit,” you clench through your teeth, quietly, “Pick a damn card, Dave.”

 

He finally looks up from his notebook, putting his pen down in frustration. He turns to you, placing an arm on the back of his chair.

 

“For the seventh time, Egbert- no,” he whispers.

 

You roll your eyes and give up, shoving the fanned-out deck of cards back in your pocket. Your attention turns back to the front of the auditorium and Dave’s returns to his notebook.

 

 _Physics is so pointless,_ you think to yourself bitterly. You adjust your frames and pout.

 

“Right,” the professor continued, motioning to the board enthusiastically, “Now, can anyone tell me the difference between these two objects?”

 

 _Uh now,_ you mock in your head, _can anyone tell me exactly how much of a douche I am?_

Some kid at the front answers his question, obviously claiming the masses of the two objects are different.

 

“Correct,” the professor delights, “They do indeed have two different masses.”

 

The clock on the wall ticks obviously, striking eight. The professor glances at the wall, then at his own watch.

 

“But! We’ll have to get into that another day.” He speaks up over the kids beginning to pack up. “The next time we reconvene, we will discuss mass and how it affects force! Have a good one, guys.”

 

You look over to Dave's notebook as he packs his stuff away.

 

“Another comic?”

 

“Yeah, man, check this out,” he holds it out to you, “So this time, I’m thinking Bro and Jeff gets one of their dicks stuck in a blender, so-”

 

“So you had time for that, but you didn’t have time for my card trick?” you ask him.

 

He closes the notebook and shoves it in his bag. “No, Egbert, it’s not so much I didn’t have _time_ for your trick, it’s that I don’t have time for it.” He smiles and it’s a toothy grin, “See the difference?”

 

“No. And you’re an asshole,” you jibe as you stand and throw your jacket over your shoulder.

 

“Yeah, you’re no prize either,” he replies.

 

You both exit the auditorium as Dave puts on a jacket and scarf.

 

The early-February cold is a kind of cold that chills you to the bone and cuts through any jacket you wear. Dave curses as you both step outside into the dimly-lit courtyard.

 

“Shit, I swear this place gets colder every winter,” he complains, wrapping his coat up tighter.

 

“This ain’t no Texas, boy,” you drawl, smiling, “you’re in Michigan now, boy.”

 

Dave throws his head back in a sarcastic laugh, his breath forming clouds as he does so, “Oh, no, seriously, that never gets old. Never. Not once, the million times you’ve said that, did it get old.”

 

“Ahh shut up, idiot,” you smirk, shrugging your own coat on, “C’mon.”

 

You both cross the street and head across campus.

 

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, you meet Jade and Rose for coffee downtown. It’s the only place Jade will go, considering it’s the only place that serves free-trade coffee. It’s nice enough, because it’s not too far of a walk off campus. It’s just nice to settle down there for a while to relax, maybe get some work done. It’s a three-year running tradition that you all seem to have settled into at the beginning of your freshman year.

 

As you walk, snow starts falling in a small flurry.

 

“Well perfect,” Dave mumbles, wiping off his shades and shoving his hands in his pockets. “Just great. It figures the only university that the four of us get into is right in the middle of butt-fuck nowhere, Michigan.”

 

You laugh it off and try talking about something else to get his mind off of it. He’s gone on this rant before and he’ll do it again. He eventually does warm up a little and gets back into the swing of things.

 

You both walk into the shop ten minutes later, one after the other. The bell sounds above you as you do. You both stamp the small gathering of snow off your shoes. The place is overridden with pink and red streamers- a horrible reminder of the impending holiday.

 

“Valentine’s day isn’t for, like, a few weeks,” you complain to Dave, warming yourself up.

 

“It’s, like, in five days, idiot,” Dave replies, walking over to the booth.

 

“Oh,” you say, following him, “damn it.”

 

“Hi,” Jade smiles from over her laptop. You and Dave both wave, shrugging off your coats. “Oh!” she adds, “Did it finally start snowing? Rose you were right.”

 

Rose looks up from her textbook, “Hm?” She turns and looks out the window, “I guess I was, imagine that.” She smiles and moves over to make room for Dave. Jade similarly moves over to make room for you.

 

You nod to Jade's computer as you sit, “Thesis work, huh?”

 

She nods solemnly, a grin of regret on her face. “Yeah. This batch of frogs isn’t cooperating." You nod as you retrieve your cards from your pocket. "They just cost me about a month of work, so now I gotta go back and-”

 

“Pick a card,” you say to her, holding out your deck of cards again.

 

Jade looks at the deck of cards, confused. “What?”

 

“For the love of all that is good, Egbert, drop it,” Dave says, sternly pointing at you. He then adjourns to get himself a coffee.

 

Rose is looking up now too. “A magic trick, huh?”

 

“Yeah,” you confirm, now holding it out to her, “Why don’t you try?”

 

“Don’t!” you hear Dave yell, from near the counter, “Don’t fuel his lousy prankster gambit.”

 

You flip him off and return your gaze to Rose, “C’mon just take a card. Please.”

 

She smirks and quickly grabs one from the middle, studying it. “I suppose I need to keep this a secret.”

 

“Yeah,” you say, grinning ear to ear, “You got it memorized, though?” She nods. “Okay now put it back on top of the deck here, face down.”

 

She does. You take the pile, shuffle it, and place it in your pocket. You return your gaze to her, folding your hands on the table.

 

She shakes her head, “That’s it?” she asks, just as Dave sits back down with a coffee.

 

“That’s a pretty lame trick, dude,” Dave adds, grabbing some sugar at the end of the table.

 

You scowl at him. “That’s because it isn’t finished yet. The second part is waiting.”

 

Silence. Skeptical looks.

 

“Right,” Jade joins. “Anyway, I was going to ask you guys what you would think of having a Valentine’s-day thing?”

 

“Thing like a party-thing?” you regretfully ask, turning to her.

 

“Of course,” she grins. You and Dave whine in chorus. “And it would have to be at your place.” You both whine even louder. “Shut up! Last time we had a party at Rose and my place, two lamps were destroyed. It's your turn.”

 

“But why,” Dave complains, stirring his coffee, “We don’t even want to have the godforsaken thing.”

 

“I think it’s a wonderful idea,” Rose adds, nodding to Jade, “We could have everyone wear red or pink, serve some food, decorate-”

 

“That sounds amazing!” Jade exclaims.

 

“Yeah, amazing!” Dave mocks her. Jade makes a face at him.

 

“But Rose-” you start, but she silences you with a hand.

 

“We will decorate, cook the food, and buy the alcohol.”

 

“I’m in,” Dave sells out immediately, placing his coffee down with an open grin.

 

“Well alright,” you sigh, “but I only have one more question.”

 

“What is that?” she asks.

 

You lean across the table quickly and pull a card out from behind Dave’s ear.

 

“What the shit?” he asks, incredulously, nearly spilling his coffee everywhere.

 

“Is THIS your card?” you ask Rose proudly, presenting it to her.

 

Unimpressed, Rose sighs. “Sorry, John. That is not my card. Ace of hearts.”

 

You turn the card around to reveal a three of diamonds. “Shit.”

 

Dave can’t help but outright laugh at the look on your face. He has to put his coffee down. Meanwhile, Jade politely covers her mouth. Rose places a hand under her chin looking sorry for you.

 

“Well, yeah, screw you guys,” you say as you stand up somberly and trudge over to the counter, getting away from them. “Coffee, thanks,” you mumble to the guy behind the counter, placing a five on the counter. The guy takes it and goes to make your coffee.

 

While you wait, Rose slides up besides you. “Hey.”

 

“Hey,” you respond, “Come to make fun of the big idiot?”

 

“No,” she says, giving you a comforting smile. You’d think with the black lipstick, a smile like that would be hard to pull off, but she does it. “It’s the opposite actually.”

 

You give her a sideways, skeptical look, playing with a napkin on the counter.

 

“Believe it or not, I know a few magic tricks,” she tells you.

 

You turn and look at her incredulously. “No way.”

 

“Yeah way,” she tilts her head, “Would you like me to teach you? I’ve got a huge book of them.”

 

“Well, yeah, that’d be awesome!” you say to her, feeling a little better, “Thanks, Rose!”

 

“Not a problem, John,” she pats you on the shoulder, “And try to ignore Dave, you know he’s a stubborn prick.”

 

“Yeah,” you pout a little, “but still.”

 

“Don’t worry,” she reassures you, "He always has his reasons for being so harsh."

 

Suddenly, Dave jumps up and joins you and Rose. “Yo, Rose, we’re all gonna head back to your place and order some pizzas for dinner.” He points to you, “You in Egbert?”

 

You nod, “Yeah I don’t have anything planned.”

 

He gives you a thumbs-up, and turns back to the table, saying “Awesome. I’ll grab our coats.”

 

You ask they guy to make it to-go. Jade packs up her computer and you all leave in the snow for Rose and Jade’s apartment.

 

~

 

It’s a small place, not too far from the café. You need to travel up three flights of stairs to get there, considering the elevator broke a while ago. It’s not too pleasing after having been through the cold weather, but none of you are in a place to complain- there are ten floors and it could be worse. The apartment itself is cozy, but spacious enough to house two people. They were smart enough to get an apartment with extra windows. Lucky for them, it gives them enough sunlight to keep the plants alive. Their apartment is over-run with Jade’s plants, given her affinity for growing whatever she pleases. Rose doesn’t mind at all. She actually enjoys the aesthetic of it. The furniture is a little old-lady style, but what do any of them care? It does what it's supposed to do and Rose loves it.

 

You all enter and throw your stuff down. You and Dave are familiar with the place so you make yourselves at home. Dave goes for the phone to order the pizza and you fall down on the couch, turning on the TV. Jade turns the heat up a bit on the radiator, then joins you on the couch.

 

“Anything to drink?” Rose asks from the kitchen.

 

“Soda for me,” you respond.

 

“Water, thanks,” Jade answers.

 

“I think Dave’ll want a soda too,” you add. You can hear him on the phone, giving instructions for delivery.

 

Soon, Rose returns with all the drinks, settling for lemonade herself. She joins the two of you in watching whatever game show is droning on the TV, perching on the arm of the couch.

 

Dave walks into the room, “Ok so I ordered three pies. Good with everyone?” This is met amicably with two verbal agreements and a thumbs-up from you. “Great.” He scoots onto the floor by the foot of the couch and watches with all of you.

 

Soon, the four of you get into an argument about whether or not the host of the show has undergone any plastic surgery. Before you know it, you’re all discussing some profound medical facts that none of you have much knowledge of whatsoever.

 

“Did you know botox is the same substance that they use in rat poison?” Rose adds.

 

“Bullshit,” Dave tells her, “There no goddamn way anyone could be that stupid.”

 

“But people are that stupid!” you exclaim, “I’m sure there’s someone out there that would really be stupid enough. I mean there are people out there stupid enough to believe that immunization will kill their kids or give them some mental illness.”

 

Jade spits some of her drink, cupping her hand under her chin to catch it. “People think that?!” she asks incredulously.

 

You nod disappointingly as Jade dons a look of disgusted horror. She wipes her hand on her pants. “Don’t get me started on how wrong that is. Immunizations protect kids from all kinds of diseases like influenza, small pox, a-”

 

Someone knocks at the door. Dave grabs the money off the table. “I got it.” He disappears into the hallway to get the pizza.

 

“I think I have a book that proves my botox point,” Rose exclaims, jumping up and running into her room, no doubt to search through her piles upon piles of books.

 

Dave returns with three boxes of pizza and you all dive in, continuing to talk about who would look the scariest out of the four of you with botox.

 

Rose finally returns with two different books- one modern looking, slimmer book and one older, dustier one.

 

“Here’s your book on the controversies of modern medicine,” she says as she hands the newer one to Jade, who promptly sits back on the couch and pours over it. “And John, here’s that book of tricks I was talking to you about.”

 

“Great!” you say, mouth full, “Let’s see it.”

 

“Magic tricks?” Dave quips. “Ugh, I need more soda.”

 

He exits and you roll your eyes, placing your half-finished slice on the table and joining Rose to sit on the other side of the table, book open between them on the floor.

 

The pages are yellowed and it looks like something may have gnawed away at the edges of the years. It smells like mothballs and the pages feel brittle.

 

“Whoa, that’s one old-ass book,” Dave remarks, returning from the kitchen, soda in hand.

 

“Yeah,” you agree, “Where did you find this, Rose?”

 

She shrugs. “Some bookstore some place.” She leafs through the pages carefully. “I honestly can’t even remember, now that you mention it.”

 

“Well here, show me something,” you tell her.

 

“Alright,” she says, turning far back in the book, “watch this.”

 

She takes her glass of lemonade and places it in front of her. She does some funky stuff with her hands and- wow, the glass begins to float a few centimeters off the ground!

 

“Shit!” you exclaim. She smiles and the cup gently returns to the ground. “Show me, oh man, I gotta learn that one!”

 

“Hold on,” she says leafing through, “I’ll teach you that one in a minute but there’s one in here that I thought you might really…” she stops. “Hold on.”

 

“What?” you say, craning your neck.

 

“I’ve never seen this one before-”

 

A phone rings, and Jade fishes hers from her pocket, closing her book. “Hello?” she answers it, mouth full of pizza. She jumps up suddenly, grabbing her coat of the back of the couch. “You’re serious?” she manages, swallowing the rest of the pizza, “Ok, shit, I’ll be there in five.”

 

“What gives?” asks Dave as she hangs up.

 

“The eggs are hatching and they need me there. My coworker took the night off so I gotta run in and make sure everything goes smoothly. It’ll be an hour tops. Sorry guys!”

 

Before any of you can say anything she’s got her coat on and is out the door.

 

“Bye, I guess,” Dave calls after her, regardless, biting into another slice. He gets up off his own spot on the couch and joins you both on the floor.

 

“Yeah... goodbye,” Rose says, distantly, not looking up from the book.

 

“What’s up?” you ask her, concerned. Dave settles down besides Rose.

 

“This last trick in the book is completely in Latin. I’ve never seen it before.”

 

Dave chuckles, “Know any Latin?”

 

Rose shrugs, her eyebrows raising. “A little. Let’s see.” She traces the book. “Tolle subditos, tene manus… I think that stands for ‘take subjects, join their hands’…” She looks up and motions to you and Dave. “Go on join hands.”

 

“Hard pass on that,” mutters Dave, biting into his pizza.

 

“Why, Dave, afraid of a little bro-on-bro contact,” you say, wiggling your eyebrows, “you know you wanna join these hands in the sacred ceremony of matri-bro-ny.”

 

He sighs and puts his pizza down, reaching his hands out, “Alright fine, but don’t go writing home about this.”

 

You laugh, taking his hands. “Swwoooooon. Ok Rose, what’s next? Damn, Dave, your hands are sweaty.”

 

“Shut the hell up, I don’t tell you how to live your life. Plus, I was just eating pizza, didn't you see me? Of course my hands are gonna be warm.”

 

Rose interrupts, “I think I have a latin dictionary.” She jumps up and runs to her room again.

 

“What the hell would you need a dictionary for a magic trick?” Dave calls.

 

He turns and notices you’re still holding hands. You smile again, devilishly moving your eyebrows. “Hey, good-lookin’-”

 

“Egbert, I’m going to politely ask you to shut the hell up again before I shove that shit-eating grin right where the sun don’t shine.”

 

“Aww, babe, don’t be like that,” you say giggling. He crushes your hand in a vice-grip and you curse. It brings a smirk to his lips as Rose returns, with a thick dictionary.

 

“So,” she says, opening it and placing it next to the trick book, “I think I need to say this excerpt here aloud and we’ll see what happens next.”

 

“Whoa, whoa Rose are you sure this is safe?” you ask her.

 

She shrugs, “Probably.”

 

You tense up. “I don’t know, Rose… this all seems a little… ritualistic? For a magic trick?”

 

“Egbert, what the hell could happen,” Dave sighs, “It’s just a stupid hocus pocus spell at the end of a magic trick book.”

 

You look uneasily to Rose again and she gives you another shrug, looking down to the book again. She reads carefully from the text:

 

“Qui autem non credit,

Et qui hoc credunt,

Quod cogitationes, commutantur

Sed diem una

Ut adducam eos propinquius”

 

You wait ten seconds…

And nothing happens.

 

“Well so much for that,” Rose says, closing both books. “There’s a second part, but this is beginning to feel a little useless. I can't translate this using a dictionary. This accomplishes nothing.”

 

You and Dave finally relinquish your hands, standing.

 

Something about the whole ritualistic nature of the trick bothers you for a while after. Nothing had happened- so why was it there?

 

Even after you all settle down again, watching TV and debating the answers on ‘Wheel of Fortune’, you can’t shake this feeling.

 

Jade calls to say she’s going to be at the lab pretty late (complications) so to not wait up for her.

 

“Rose, I’ve got a hell of a headache,” you finally tell her after a while, “Can I grab some asprin?”

 

She looks to you, stopping her conversation with Dave. “Oh sure, I’ll grab it.” She goes to the kitchen and grabs the small bottle out of the cabinet and some water.

 

Dave looks over to you, eyebrows peaked over his shades. “You ok?”

 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” you tell him, rubbing your temples, “my head just kills. Maybe I’ll stay here tonight.”

 

Dave glances at his phone too. “Well shit, it’s two in the morning? Yeah I’ll crash here too.”

 

Rose returns to the room and hands him the pills and water. You drink the first pill immediately. “John, do you want the couch?” she asks.

 

You shake your head slightly as you swallow the second pill. “No, Dave can have it.”

 

“What?” Dave says incredulously, “Dude, I’m an asshole but not a completely douche. You're killing my chivalrous persona. You take the couch, I’ll take the floor, no worries.”

 

“Ok, sure,” you agree, too tired to argue, suddenly. While you spread out on the couch, Rose takes a nearby blanket and tosses it over you.

 

“If you need anything else, you know where to find me,” she tells you, patting your shoulder in a reaffirming yet soothing manner, “I’m going to bed now. Goodnight, you two.”

 

“Night,” you both tell her. She grabs both of her books and disappears into her room. The door closes with a click.

 

Dave scavenges his own blanket and pillow and sets up on the other side of the table. He lays down and turns to you, “You sure you’re alright, Egbert? That headache set in pretty quickly. You were fine a while ago.”

 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” you assure him, “I just need to get some sleep is all.”

 

He pauses, apprehending you behind the shades. “Alright, night.”

 

“Night, Dave.”

 

The last thing you think about before passing out is the throbbing in your head increasing.

 

~

_**Definitely shouldn't have eaten one and a half of those pies last night.** _

_**I wonder if Rose is up yet.**_  

 **_C’mon Egbert, wake up_ ** _. **I gotta pee like a bitch.**_

****

You slowly come to terms with what just popped into your head. It sounded like Dave’s voice but quieter.

 

**_I wonder if I start making noises, will he wake up? Probably not, he’s out like a light. I could just get up._**

 

This is probably one of those lucid dreams you’ve heard about, where you can control what you’re doing and it feels like you’re awake, but you’re not.

 

Except it really feels like you’re awake.

 

You open your eyes and you’re in Rose and Jade’s place. On the couch, just like you remembered, tangled up in the crocheted blanket.

 

To your right you hear noises,  you close your eyes again and move your head away.

 

**_Oh shit, did he wake up?... Nope. Still good._ **

 

…That is most definitely not your voice. What is that? Every time it says something, there’s a feeling associated with it. Something that doesn’t… belong.

 

You hear Dave get up and move to the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

 

What the hell is going on?

 

You sit up slowly and rub your head. The headache is gone. You move your hands in front of you and move your fingers. You’re definitely awake.

 

But what is this faint noise in your head?

 

You hear the toilet flush and Dave emerges. The voice speaks up.

 

 ** _Oh, he IS awake._** The phrase is tinged with some surprise.

 

“Oh, you’re awake,” Dave says.

 

 ** _I wonder if he’s feeling any better,_** the voice says.

 

“You feeling any better?” he continues.

 

You sit, mouth slightly agape, adding everything together.

 

“Dave,” you ask him, “what did we have for dinner last night?”

 

Dave gives you a confused look. The voice, confused, whispers in your head, **_Why does Egbert need to know what we had for dinner? Is his headache that serious? Does he not remember?_**

 

“We had pizza,” Dave says slowly, “Why? Is something up?”

 

You raise a hand in horror to your mouth.

 

Just then, Rose erupts from her room, holding the latin dictionary. Her eyes are wild and they lock with yours.

 

“Oh, SHIT,” she remarks, leaning against the doorframe, “John, I’m so sorry.”

 

 ** _What the hell is going on here,_** the voice whispers, adding an element of fear as Dave looks between the two of you.

  
“Does someone want to tell me what the hell is going on here?” Dave says, loudly.

 

You exhale quickly. “Dave, think of a color.”

 

“What? Why-”

 

“A color, Dave!” you repeat. Rose is coming to sit next to you on the couch, completely involved in the book again.

 

“… alright, but that's the stupidest game you could come up with?” says Dave, still standing by the bathroom.

 

 ** _Purple_** , the voice whispers as visions of purple fill your mind.

 

“Purple,” you say to Dave.

 

Dave’s eyebrows furrow.

 

“Try a food,” you tell him.

 

 ** _Spaghetti,_** the voice chimes. You can picture and somehow almost taste spaghetti.

 

“…Spaghetti,” you solemnly tell him.

 

Dave’s mouth falls open.

 

**_How the hell is he…?_ **

 

“I don’t know, Dave!”

 

You can feel a sense of bewilderment in the back of your head, as Dave tries to piece together how you just finished his thought.

 

 ** _Apple pie._** “Apple pie,” you say. Dave jumps.

 

 ** _Egbert if you can hear my goddamn thoughts right now, snap your fingers._** The voice has an element of fear in it that makes you uncomfortable.

 

You slowly raise you hand to snap.

 

“Don’t you even _think_  about it,” Dave says slowly, pointing at you.

 

You reluctantly snap your fingers and Dave moans, placing his face in his hands.

 

“You've gotta be fuckin' kidding me."

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment! Thank you!


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